Essay Example: Should Animals Be Used in Research?

Many animals are tested on in laboratories in America for medical and commercial purposes. Animals are mostly used in biomedical research as human disease models and behavioral research including psychology. Animals have been used in the development of medical treatments, determination of medications level of toxicity, checking product safety for human use and other commercials, biomedical and healthcare uses (Harriss and Greg Atkinson 2013). The scientific experiments on living animals are one which has been in practice since 500 BC. Those arguing for animals in research agree that it has assisted in the creation of many treatments that save lives for both animals and humans. Additionally, proponents agree that there is no other choice for studying a complete living organism. They have developed strict laws and policies which help in the prevention of animal mistreatment in laboratories. Animal testing opponents argue that it is inhumane and cruel to carry out experiments on animals. Furthermore, opponents say that there are choices which are available to researchers which are capable of replacing testing on animals. They also argue that the massive difference between animals and human beings results in irrelevant results. However, I support researching on animals because of the reasons discussed in the subsequent argument paragraphs.

I agree with the research on animals because testing on them has led to many treatments and cures which are lifesaving. According to the California Biomedical Research Association, approximately every breakthrough in medicine has been because of testing on animals. Insulin was developed after the removal of pancreases of dogs, and it has helped in the curing of diabetes (California Biomedical Research Association 2014). On the same note, the vaccine for polio that was tested on animals has assisted in the reduction of the diseases' occurrence on a global scale from 350,000 cases to 27 cases between 1988 to 2016. Moreover, animal research has led to the development of treatment for conditions including tuberculosis, childhood leukemia and malaria. According to Chris Abee, the vaccine for hepatitis B was developed from the test on chimpanzees. Chris also adds that using chimpanzees is the world's best hope in the finding the best Hepatitis C vaccine.

I also support animal research because there is no other option for testing on a living body system. Living systems such as animals and human beings are involved, and scientists agree that the study of cell cultures on the petri dish is not very much helpful. This is because it does not offer the chance of studying process that is interrelated and happen in the endocrine system, central nervous system, and the immune system. The evaluation of the side effects of a drug needs a circulatory system that carries the medicine to different body organs. Conditions including high blood pressure and blindness are not possible to study in tissue cultures. In addition, the reliability of computer models depends on the accuracy of information from animal research are used in the building of the same models.

The relevance of animals being used in research hinges on the fact that they have similarity to human beings in more than one way. For instance, human beings share 99% of DNA with chimpanzees and 98% of mice. This analogy makes animals, just like human beings, to develop susceptibility to same illnesses and conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. On the same note, the use of animals in research is suitable in situations where ethical considerations bar using human subjects. In testing toxicity in medicine, it is necessary not to endanger lives of human volunteers. The performance of strict experimental procedures on human beings is unethical because some of these experiments involve the manipulation of genes. The World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki indicates that animal tests should precede trials on human beings.

Animals are also beneficiaries of animal testing results because the vaccines tested on them have prevented millions of them from dying because of feline leukemia, rabies, tetanus and infectious hepatitis virus. The treatments for animals are developed through animal testing which has been helpful in saving species that are endangered from becoming extinct. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has endorsed animal testing. In addition, research on animals is under strict regulations that protect against mistreatment of animals in laboratories. The law on animal research has been in place since 1966 by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) (Cowan 2013). The AWA demands that animals are given clean water, food and are regularly inspected by veterinaries. Any proposed use of animal in research is subject to approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The short life cycles of animals mean that they make better research subjects than human beings. Rats and mice are well-situated to research on cancer for the long-term because of their short lifespans.

The fact that veterinaries, animal health technicians humanely treat animals and husbandry specialists give credit to the use of animals for research. Crowded or stressed animals provide research results which lack reliability. On the same note, animals do not have rights, and it is acceptable to carry out experiments on them. Animals lack moral judgment or cognitive ability like humans which makes them be treated differently. The safety of healthcare products and cosmetics must be tested on animals for surety. Product safety is of very high value because the population uses cosmetics daily. The US Food and Drug Administration to guarantee ingredient or product safety have endorsed animal tests on cosmetics. In China, all cosmetics are tested on animals before being made available for sale (McGrath, John. and Elliot 2015).

Judging from the arguments, it is clear that the benefits reaped from the use of animals in research outweigh its negative aspects. Using animals in the study is a topic which has been hotly contested because of the different beliefs held by scientists, the public and religious leaders. However, the need for using animals in research is one that cannot be denied given that human beings share a lot in common with animals. The accuracy of results and safety of the population hinges on the use of animals in research. However, it is important to note that any animal test is subject to regulations and approvals from many organizations as discussed in the arguments herein. There are also negative sides to the use of animals on research, and these claims based on religion have hindered attempts made on animal testing. The world is a safer place when animals are used in the study.

Works Cited

California Biomedical Research Association. "What is biomedical research?" Retrieved on 25 (2014).

Cowan, Tadlock. "The Animal Welfare Act: background and selected animal welfare legislation." Congressional Research Service, Washington, DC: http://nationalaglawcenter. org/wp-content/uploads/assets/crs/RS22493. pdf (2013).

Harriss, D. J., and Greg Atkinson. "Ethical standards in sport and exercise science research: 2014 update." International journal of sports medicine 34.12 (2013): 1025-1028.

McGrath, John C., and Elliot Lilley. "Implementing guidelines on reporting research using animals (ARRIVE etc.): new requirements for publication in BJP." British journal of pharmacology 172.13 (2015): 3189-3193.